A Norwegian journalist has alleged that Meta suspended her Instagram and Facebook accounts days after she publicly challenged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over press freedom during his visit to Oslo.
Helle Lyng, a reporter for the newspaper Dagsavisen, said she was locked out of both platforms following a wave of attention sparked by her questioning of Mr Modi and senior Indian diplomats. She wrote on X: “If you’re trying to reach me on Instagram or Facebook, I would like to let you know I have been suspended from both accounts.”
The incident occurred earlier this week during a joint appearance by Mr Modi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The leaders had announced they would not take questions, but Ms Lyng called out: “Prime minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” Mr Modi did not respond.
The exchange went viral, reigniting debate in India over press freedom. Mr Modi has not held a solo press conference since taking office in 2014. Ms Lyng later defended her approach, telling BBC Hindi: “That’s how confrontational journalism works.”
During a subsequent press briefing hosted by Indian diplomats, Ms Lyng pressed officials on human rights allegations. Senior diplomat Sibi George rejected the criticism, saying: “We believe in equality, we believe in human rights.” He also dismissed reports from rights groups as coming from “ignorant NGOs”.
Meta has not publicly commented on the suspensions. Ms Lyng said she was trying to understand why her accounts were disabled, asking for advice on securing them if reinstated.
